Language preservation, business and economic development, social and educational development – these were among the topics discussed in meetings between the Nunatsiavut government and other community leaders and senior Memorial University officials in Labrador on Aug. 6-8.

Dr. Axel Meisen, Memorial’s president, traveled to Nain to explore issues of mutual interest to the university and to leaders in the region. He was accompanied by Dr. Michael Collins, associate vice-president (academic) and Peter Morris, director of public affairs.

The Memorial delegations met with Sarah Erikson, AngajukKah (mayor) of Nain. Ms. Erikson also serves as northern vice-president on the Combined Councils of Labrador and sits as a member of the Nunatsiavut assembly.

A meeting was also held with a delegation from the Nunatsiavut government including William Andersen III, president, Darryl Shiwak, minister of education and economic development, and Tim McNeill, deputy minister of education and economic development. Also attending were Lucy Brennan, Nunatsiavut’s director of post-secondary student support, Teresa Best, native liaison at Memorial and Toni White of the Torngasok Community Centre.

The centre point of the discussion was the proposed creation of a Task Force on Aboriginal Initiatives at Memorial. Specific discussions centred on possible special and strategic initiatives the groups could undertake collaboratively.  They discussed the idea of developing business or other educational programs in a short course format that could be delivered at a distance and in modules directly in the community.

President Andersen stressed the importance of language to the future development of the Nunatsiavut people, particularly the desire to make Inuktitut a “working” language again in the region. Dr. Meisen indicated that the university could help with this initiative, particularly on the research side.

A large challenge which Nunatsiavut is facing head on is the creation of the government structures, policies and legislation that are required for self-government.   Dr. Meisen and President Andersen discussed ways that the university’s political science department could assist Nunatsiavut officials in meeting that challenge.

While in Nain, Dr. Meisen also met with Judy Rowell, superintendent of the new Torngat Mountain National Park Reserve in Northern Labrador. The park reserve came into existence with the creation of Nunatsiavut.  Ms. Rowel provided a briefing on the current developments in the park and future plans.

At the invitation of the Nunatsiavut government and the Labrador Inuit Development Corporation, the university delegation toured the dimension stone quarry at 10-Mile Bay just outside of Nain. Here workers are mining Labradorite that is shipped in multi-ton blocks to Italy for processing and then to markets all over the world. Labradorite from this quarry was used extensively in the wall and floor construction of the Inco Innovation Centre on Memorial’s St. John’s campus.

Dr. Meisen indicated that Memorial’s Labrador Institute would be a lead agency in advancing and developing many of the initiatives discussed with the various groups. An announcement is expected from the university shortly on the appointment of a new director for the Labrador Institute.